just go or invitation?

Here's a tough situation that is unravelling at the moment: I sent the following to a few of my mentors and maybe you could wrestle through these issues and pray for me at the same time.


I was recently talking with my father about my situation in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. I am looking to serve with my gifts of evangelism and discipleship, but there haven't been any open doors yet. My father talked about how there needs to be an invitation from a host ministry. I feel that I've been forcing myself on people as I have come along (here in South Africa). I have never thought about this before and I always thought that the main emphasis was on the willingness to go (and make disciples). I have sacrificed so much and made myself so available and now it seems like no one really wants me. Sounds like a sob story, but I have put myself in a place where I must trust God. I feel like I have always been struggling for a balance between faith and work. Like I can get all of these appointments lined up before I set foot in Africa and it's all smooth sailing. Or I can just go and look to join in where God is working. I don't know about this whole missions trip thing. I know I have to make disciples, is it possible to go to the wrong spot? My intentions are blameless so why doesn't God use me? I'm a highly trained, completely available worker....ready to join the harvest; but it looks like my services aren't needed. That can't be right. Looking for a little help in these areas. Thanks so much for all of your support.

jeffrey's bay

Things have been wrapped up in Cape Town and I have continued along the coast. I arrived here in Jeffrey's Bay this morning and tagged along with some travel mates to a local hostel. Here's the deal: I know that it was time to move from Cape Town, but I'm not sure exactly what God has in store for me here in Jeffrey's Bay. I'm strapped for cash and it's a cool place to be because I have to trust God. So today's prayer requests are as follows:

pray that God would show me how I can serve him here in J bay
pray that I would be able to track down all my local contacts
pray that God would provide for my daily needs

Thank you, prayer warriors!

Summer slingshot

There is so much work yet to be done here in Muizenberg and so many opportunities, but I know that it's time to move one. I've been here for over a month, the longest I've stayed in one place on this voyage. I feel called to church planting and it's been really neat to see a small glimpse of what that really means. Please keep the following guys in prayer as they look to get plugged into the local church and make a stand for their faith. These are the guys from the Surf Shack. If you're ever in Cape Town, swing by for a surf lesson and ask these guys if they are representing Christ as hard as they surf! These young men are in the thick of it all:

Dave-one of the managers at the Shack. pray that God would bless his generosity and continue to provide for him and his housemates. pray that he would be a light to the darkness around him

Craig-the other manager, a fantastic surfer with extreme charisma. pray that he would steadily grow in understanding of who God really is and that he would be moved to share Christ with those around him

Alfonso and Nate- These guys are surrounded by worldly friends and claim to be owned by Christ. They are in a tough situation and need to burn some bridges. Pray for accountability and the Spirit to fill these men!

Kennedy- A believer who is seeking God and has a passion for surfing. Pray that he would realize the gift of truth that is found in the message of Jesus and that he would be full of joy in when he shares this! He needs to grow and be surrounded with godly men.

So, please lift up these young men and remember that there are people representing Jesus all across the globe. Please pray for me as I wrap up loose ends here and move on along the coast. Pray that God would place another exciting ministry in my path.

Thank you prayer warriors!

May 18 prayer requests

Recent developments have humbled me greatly and highlighted my need to seek the Father and his guidance even more. I had partnered with a local ministry and was recently involved in a split. I was accused of sabotage and criticized for my desire to give guidance. I questioned the mission statement (and lack thereof), the maturity of believers, and the treatment of employees. For all of these questions I was kicked out of the last place I was staying. With all my bags in hand, I walked away from what I thought God was calling me to. Clearly, God had closed a door.

God closed another one also. I had been wanting to go to J bay and minister there, but nothing has opened up. My current budget of 30Rand/day would not even allow me to accept an offer to stay at a discounted rate. I don't feel that God has called me to move on yet.

And God opened a door. The local believers at the Surf Shack are longing for maturity and growth. They have been under attack from the secular culture for so long and are in desperate need of support. Please pray for Saltwater Soldiers: a coalition of surfers who will put their identity in Christ and grow and serve with purpose.

Please pray for these things:
1) reconciliation with the past ministry coordinator. that she would be humbled and shaped.
2) direction for Saltwater Soldiers as we organize a mission statement and prepare to do church.
3) for the local believer surfers to take a stand for their faith
4) that God would provide for my daily needs
5) that God would direct me where to go and when to move
6) that God would show me the right people to partner with
7) for the growth and maturity of the street kids and the local surfers

Prayer requests May 11

1. We need to articulate a missions statement for the surf school and the lodge. Pray that the believers here get on the same page. Pray that we would not be distracted, but would press on towards building the Kingdom and not our little businesses

2. Pray for guidance and direction as I look to move towards Jeffrey's Bay. I'm not sure what I'll be up to, but these times of transition force me to seek God. So pray for ministries to join up with.

3. Pray for believers to join up with. Pray that God would give me a new surf crew and other believers to partner with.

4. Pray that I find these church books. It's hard to find the new books that I need for my studies here in South Africa. Shipping is expensive and I'm on the move. These new books are not often available online.

Friday night youth

Friday night youth- I was invited to speak at a youth night in a local town last Friday. The youth pastor and I play soccer together on Saturdays and we had been talking about doing a program for a couple weeks. I had met with Chris, the pastor, and we spent Wednesday watching soccer and chatting with several of the youth. I even had a birthday song played to me with a trombone, guitar, and piano! Yes, I am now 21. The youth met in the church building in Lavender Hill, a beautiful name for a scary town. This neighborhood is notorious for crime and gang activity, but on this night it was dedicated to Christ. We spent some time in prayer and I presented my story. I spoke on Luke 10 and the harvest. I encouraged the youth to speak boldly of Christ in their lives and to make a stand for the faith.

There were several things about this youth group that struck me (in all of my years of youth experience): firstly, the ages of the youth ranged from 6 to 21 years of age. That has never been attempted in the States, but it worked very nicely on this past night. We split the kids into so many age groups and then give them their own programs, but this night showed me that more is possible than we once thought. The second surprise of the night was revealed at the end of the event. With 20+ kids there was only one compact car to transport everyone home. The level of service and dedication that I saw in the youth leaders is astounding. They had a sense of ownership of these kids. The cost of the transportation and the inconvenience of the trip meant nothing to them. Their main objective was taking care of the needs of the youth.

stomping ground

Every week day I meet with a group of kids for a surf lesson. At 3:30 we meet at our shack on the beach and get suited up. We have a bible time and ask a couple questions. I've been trying to hone the bible time to a simple formula so that other volunteers can follow it so we've turned to bible memorization. The other day we started with John 3:16. The street kids learned the actions and had the whole verse down. After our surf I heard a ruckus in the street and turned to find that the kids taken money from a drunk man who had passed out by our shack. A chase pursued, which led to the apprehension of one of the youth. He was interrogated with the boxing-of-the-ears method by a local man. He cried. It was tragic. He had it coming.

And then some surfing lady bought them all ice cream.

these are our stomping grounds:


View Larger Map

You'll find a series of 3 buildings on Beach Road. One of the small buildings is ours.

Pray that these kids hear the pure and simple gospel in a way that they can understand. Pray that strong volunteers would come to preach to them. Pray that disciples would be made out of the street kids.

Missionary Kids

The Anderson brothers and I had a little fiasco with a mountain in northern Spain. Several cumulative meters of roadrash and many sliding gloves later, we made it to the end of our 600m vertical descent. Please enjoy our video and remember that missionary kids are more hardcore than you'll ever be.

Untitled from Jon Wong on Vimeo.